1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gaming machine and a gaming system in which one winning prize is determined by a lottery among plural winning prizes, such lottery result is displayed and a benefit corresponding to the lottery result is given. In particularly, the present invention relates to a gaming machine and a gaming system in which a number of times of game satisfying a predetermined condition is counted and when such number of times of game reaches to a predetermined number of times of game, a special benefit is given.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in gaming machines such as Pachinko game machines, Japanese Pachi-slot game machines and slot machines, in a case that a big prize according to which a large benefit is given does not occur for a predetermined period, in order to retain game interest of a player, a predetermined special benefit (so-called threshold prize) is given. Such special prize is given independently of the lottery result to the player who almost loses game interest because of no big prize for a predetermined period, thereby delight in excess of desire is given to the player. Therefore, decreasing game interest can be recovered and improved.
Such gaming machine having threshold function to give the threshold prize is already well-known for players, thus there will be a case that the player can recognize that the threshold prize will occur in the immediate future. And there exist many gaming machines having function to inform the number of times of game necessary to reach to the threshold prize. In such cases, for players who can grasp that the threshold prize will be given, the effect of the threshold prize becomes comparatively small. That is to say, although giving the threshold prize sufficiently realizes the effect to raise the game interest of the player based on that unexpected benefit is given to the player, such giving the threshold prize becomes a benefit given within expected range for the player who can predict the threshold prize which will be given. Thus, such threshold prize becomes nothing but general delight to the same extent as the ordinary benefit.
Here, it is disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2003-169881 a gaming machine in which a number of times of game necessary to reach to a state that the threshold prize is given can be voluntarily set. And in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2004-16703, it is disclosed a gaming machine in which a number of times of game necessary to reach to the state that the threshold prize is given is changed when a predetermined condition is satisfied.
In the gaming machines disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2003-169881 and Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2004-16703, based on that the number of times of game necessary to reach to the state that the threshold prize is given is voluntarily set and such number is changed, grasp of the number of times of game to reach to the state that the threshold prize is given is made hard. Thereby, the threshold prize is given as unexpected benefit and game interest of the player is raised.
However, in the gaming machines disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2003-169881 and Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2004-16703, in case of a prize (including loss of game) except for some special prize (for example, “increasing prize” in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2003-169881 and “big prize” in Unexamined Japanese Publication No. 2004-16703), such game obtaining the prize is certainly counted as the number of times of game. Therefore, for example, in a case that the number of times of game can be grasped such as a case that it is displayed the number of times of game necessary to reach to the threshold prize, a timing according to which the threshold prize is given can be surely grasped. Namely, a period that the player, who grasps the timing that the threshold prize is given, is expecting the threshold prize becomes a short period.
Here, since the player expecting the threshold prize becomes an enhanced state on the basis of expectation for a period capable of expecting the threshold prize, it concludes that one phase of game interest is realized. That is to say, there will exist problems that the player cannot sufficiently enjoy the game interest corresponding to expectation that the threshold prize may be given.